


Throne of Demons

by thefirst7seas



Category: Aquaman (2018), DC Extended Universe
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Bonding, Demonic Possession, Demons, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Gen, Never-ending Angst, Some Humor, actually lots of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26256910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefirst7seas/pseuds/thefirst7seas
Summary: Arthur deals with the pressures of being King of the undersea kingdom of Atlantis while Orm is imprisoned in the highest tower. Arthur is alerted that his brother finally wants to speak to him, but their first conversation doesn't go well. Everything changes when the other kingdoms call for Orm's execution.
Relationships: Arthur Curry & Mera, Arthur Curry & Orm Marius, Arthur Curry/Mera, Atlanna & Arthur Curry (DCU), Atlanna & Orm Marius, Atlanna/Tom Curry (DCU)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 23





	1. Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this is the first fic I'm sharing with you guys and I hope you'll enjoy it. This is the first chapter and I can't wait to write the next few. Also, let's just agree that summaries aren't my thing lmaoo.

When Arthur was notified that his brother wanted to talk to him, he was fairly surprised. Arthur thought it would take weeks for Orm to finally come around and want to have a civil conversation.

Arthur swam to the highest tower in Atlantis where Orm was being kept. He was given a view after all. Orm could see all of Atlantis and more if he wanted to. It seems like he just brooded in the cell, sitting on the bed keeping his nose in a book.

The cell was bright and small, but Orm was given necessities and few wants. Arthur allowed Orm to have books from Atlantis’ wide variety of choices in the library. He was glad to know Orm had some interests besides screaming and yelling “half-breed bastard” at him.

Arthur nodded towards the guards to bring the electrical barrier down so he could hear what Orm has to say to him. The guards nodded then Arthur ordered them to leave so he could speak to his brother as privately as possible.

Arthur swam into his brother’s cell, “seems nice and cozy in here, Orm.”

Orm scoffed and put his book down on a table near the bed, “perhaps we could trade places.”

“You wish,” Arthur laughed and realized that was the first actual nice interaction with his brother. There was a hint of a smile on Orm’s face but it faded quickly, too fast for Arthur to take notice.

“I’m ready to talk, brother.”

“Then let’s talk,” Arthur watched as Orm got up and turned his back towards him to look out the cell at all of Atlantis.

“When I was a child, I was told horror stories of the surface. I was told how the people above only murdered each other and went to war. How they killed our kind, murdered our grandparents,” Orm breathed in and continued, “I was terrified of what was happening to you on the surface, I only ever wanted to rescue you from it, Arthur. That of course changed when I blamed you for mother’s execution. I was so full of hate and–“

Arthur looked at Orm perplexed, this was the first time he was genuinely open about his childhood. Arthur never bothered to ask Atlanna about it, he knew the memories were painful. It was evident Orvax was never a great father, husband, or even king.

Orm took a shaky breath and stared off as if he was reliving a harsh memory then spoke up again:

“Do you remember when we were in the Ring of Fire and you said to me that you wanted to get to know me before?” Orm asked.

“I recall,” Arthur stated.

There was another long pause and Orm finally asked, “was... was there any truth to that?” He sounded conflicted, almost as if he were being torn between wanting to end Arthur right then and there or wanting their conflict to end and finally make peace.

“Yes, there was a truth to it. I wasn’t just talking out of my ass, Orm,” Arthur said.

Orm turned around with a pained look on his face, “then why were you never there? Why did you abandon me? Why did you never come to see mother and me?” 

Arthur was shocked, he couldn’t believe these words were coming out of Orm’s mouth.

“I think you know why...” 

“I don’t.”

Arthur folded his arms and rolled his eyes, “I’m surprised you never figured it out.”

Orm stood still waiting for Arthur to explain more.

“Your father, Orm, your father!” Arthur couldn’t believe he had to spell it out to his brother.

“My father? What’s he to do with this?” Orm questioned, raising his voice slightly.

Arthur was about to poke the bear and he wasn’t going to regret it one bit.

“He was the reason our mother was executed, not me. He was the reason I couldn’t come to Atlantis ever, not you or Atlantis itself. He was the reason that you hate me and all of the surface. He was the reason you tried to declare war on the world. He’s the reason, Orm!” Arthur let it all out, and it felt good to finally put some sense into his stubborn little brother. At least, that’s what he thought he did. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Orm immediately went into a frenzy and shouted at Arthur to get out and resorted back to name-calling him.

“You think you can insult my father’s legacy? Do you think you will be near as great of a King he was, half-breed?! Get out, bastard!” Orm shouted and flayed his arms to try to intimidate Arthur.

It worked, and Arthur backed away from Orm. There was the dangerous Orm he knew so well. The Orm who was always so angry and hostile. Arthur hastily swam towards the cell’s exit and turned on the electrical barrier himself. 

“Runaway, half-breed!” Orm spat at the cell door, “and never come back here again!” 

Arthur ordered the guards back to their stations and to keep a close eye on Orm. Arthur pitied anyone who would get in Orm’s way when he is this angry.

After two weeks had passed since the incident, Arthur was exhausted from being King of Atlantis already. There was so much work to be done every day. He was only glad that he had Mera to see after every long hard day. She was his anchor, after all. He hadn’t thought about Orm, how he was doing, or if he was comfortable. He could care less if Orm rotted in that cell if he wanted to after the “conversation” they had. 

During a council meeting with the other kingdoms, the fate of his brother was brought up. Arthur wanted to move on from this discussion, but it was inevitable and unavoidable. 

“Your highness, we need to discuss your brother and an update on his punishment,” the Fishermen Princess, Scales spoke up. 

“The other kingdoms and I have come to an agreement,” Scales stated.

Arthur motioned for her to go on.

“We offer you: his execution to the Trench for his perceived crimes.” 

Arthur stared blankly back at her. He then looked at the other rulers seeing that they all agreed with her, nodding their heads in unison. 

“I’m sorry? There will be no execution of my brother. I forbid it,” Arthur stated plainly.

Scales furrowed her brows, “do you forget that he murdered my own father in cold blood? Do you forget the war he started? His own people that died for his so-called noble cause?” Scales spit out those words with such venom, Arthur never thought he would see the day the Fishermen people resorted to such violent behavior.

“I didn’t forget, but my brother’s execution is not the answer and never will be,” Arthur gritted his teeth.

“There will be no more executions, as the wielder of Atlan’s trident and the King of Atlantis and the seven seas, I forbid it,” The sea king stood up and banged the end of his trident on the ground to prove he was being serious. 

Arthur ended the council then and made his way to the throne room to think and clear his head. 

His mother entered the room suddenly and he was glad to have some decent company at last. He thought back to the other kingdoms’ wishes to execute his brother. He couldn’t lose another family member to execution when he just got one back from the same issue. 

“Mom! Am I glad to see you!” Arthur jumped off of his throne and went to hug her, he’ll never get tired of holding her in his arms. Sometimes he’s afraid he’ll never let go.

“It is good to see you too, my son,” Atlanna smiled and returned the hug. 

“But I am not here for leisure. I heard about the plan with Orm, is it true they are planning his execution?” Atlanna asked with shakiness in her voice. If he could see her tears in the water, they would be welling up in her eyes right now.

“What? No! None of that is true. I ended their plan in the council and my word is the law,” Arthur stated.

“Orm heard of the rumor and he’s... not doing well. Perhaps you should check in on him, Arthur, and reassure him.” 

“Yeah, I can do that... for sure,” Arthur swallowed dryly.

Atlanna smiled then, “thank you, my son. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing my two boys get along.”

Atlanna hugged Arthur again and made her leave. 

_Shit, shit, shit!_ Arthur thought, _no one knows about the fight Orm and I had in his cell, especially not mom! How am I supposed to talk to Orm without pissing him off and making things worse?_

Arthur sighed and eventually decided to make his way to Orm’s tower. 

Arthur did the same procedure as the first time he went to see Orm.

He entered Orm’s cell and announced his presence, “Hey, little brother!”

At first, Arthur couldn’t see his brother and a sudden panic went to his chest, but then he saw Orm sat in a corner of his cell staring at a wall. Orm looked miserable, his face was scruffy when he usually prefers to be clean-shaven, he had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was unkempt, and not how he usually wears it which is up and pulled back. 

A blank expression was on Orm’s face and he seemed so lost in thought, he didn’t even realize Arthur was standing in front of him. 

Arthur looked sadly at his brother, “hey, Orm?” Arthur repeated his greeting more softly.

Orm looked up acknowledging Arthur’s presence for the first time, “what do you want?” he replied bitterly, the words like poison hanging in the water.

“Did you hear about the rumor of your execution?” Arthur was careful with his words, not trying to set Orm off. His brother was like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off any second. 

“Oh, it’s a rumor now? Last I heard there were plans!” Orm pretended to act shocked with his hands for dramatic effect.

“There are no plans for your execution, brother. No one is going to harm you, I won’t allow it.”

Orm laughed then, “you really are a naive King, Arthur.”

Arthur gave a pitiful look to Orm, “you’re sad, you know that?” 

There was silence between them. A long silence that felt like an eternity. 

Arthur spoke up, “I’m sorry I was never there for you. I know I should have tried more at least-“

Orm interrupted him, “don’t apologize.” 

He then got up to make a move to fix his hair at least. But the small action was never accomplished.

No one could have anticipated what happened next, it happened so fast but time seemed to slow at the same time. The room exploded. Arthur tried to grab Orm to protect him from the explosion, but he failed and Orm was pushed back to the opposite side of where Arthur was. 

The explosion barely missed Arthur, he got up immediately from where he was to check on his younger brother. 

Orm was floating unconscious and his face was covered in blood. The ocean was starting to soak the crimson up like a sponge and spread it everywhere.

Arthur managed to choke out, “Orm? Orm? Wake up please.”

Almost as quickly as the explosion happened, there were guards surrounding the brothers everywhere. 

“My King, are you alright?”

“What happened? Are you okay, your highness?”

“Medic!!”

These were some of the words Arthur managed to process. He was so overwhelmed and busy trying to protect Orm from any more dangers that he didn’t realize he was going into shock.

“Yes, I’m fine...” Arthur tried to say while he passed out himself, letting Orm float away from his arms.

Arthur jolted awake in his bed. No, not his bed. The hospital. To be exact, a hospital bed in Atlantis. He heard a heart monitor beeping and looked around the room until his eyes rested on his love. 

Mera came up to him and gave him a small hug since Arthur was still a bit sore, “I was worried sick about you!” 

“Never do that again,” she joked, placing a kiss on his cheek.

“How are you doing?” She finally asked Arthur.

Arthur coughed, “I’m fine, I think. I heal quickly. How is Orm?” Arthur suddenly remembered why he was in the hospital in the first place.

“He’s... in stable condition,” Mera replied.

“Where is he? Can I see him?” 

“No can do.”

“Why not?”

“Someone tried to kill you-“

“No one was trying to kill me, Mera. They were trying to kill my brother. Now please, let me go to him, my love,” Arthur stated then kissed Mera back on the cheek.

Mera sighed, “all right Arthur, but he’s not doing well right now. He needs rest.”

“That’s okay, I’m just checking on him.”

Arthur carefully got up and looked at the seaweed wrapped around his chest to stabilize him and quickly removed it to swim faster, _I’ll be fine._

Mera lead him to Orm’s room down the hall. They entered the room, Arthur saw his mother by Orm’s side and he asked Mera to excuse them.

“Of course, my King,” Mera bowed her head and left them alone with Orm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have chapter 2 written already and that will be up shortly, thanks for reading. Feedback is greatly appreciated, love you all <3


	2. Healing Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orm survives an explosion that was meant to kill him. Atlanna and Arthur watch over him in the hospital, making sure no other harm befalls him. Arthur mistakenly leaves his brother alone and comes to regret that decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again with chapter 2! enjoy reading <3

Three days had passed since the attack and all was quiet in the small room that held the former King of Atlantis who was being targeted by someone who wanted him dead. His mother sat by his side for many hours, often sleeping. 

Once she knew her eldest son was doing well, she never left her youngest’s side. Orm was badly injured in the explosion he was at the epicenter of. Orm’s face was covered in bruises, his hair was disheveled, he had dark circles under his eyes. The skin on his arms was scorched and burned – he looked like a complete and utter mess. He was hooked up to many tubes to stabilize his body. 

“Orm... Orm... **ORM**...”

Orm suddenly sat up in his bed, gasping for any oxygen he could receive from the ocean surrounding him. Atlanna jolted awake when she heard constant beeping fearing her son had taken for the worst. She was relieved to see he had woken up instead of dying in front of her, she would have never forgiven herself if that ever happened.

Orm removed the tubes from his body, hissing in pain from each one he pulled.

“I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!” He screamed over and over, still stuck in the explosion’s past it seemed.

Atlanna quickly rushed over to her son to calm him down, gently pushing him back on the bed.

“Everything is all right, my son,” Atlanna soothed him with her motherly voice.

Orm laid back down, accepting that everything was all right if his mother said so. He was still dazed and confused as if the bomb in his cell had gone off at this second. 

Once Orm gripped reality, “Where am I? What happened?” He asked.

“You’re in the hospital, you were put in a medically induced coma to help speed up the healing process from an explosion when someone tried to kill you,” his mother explained.

“They should have finished the job,” Orm sneered and tried to adjust more in the bed.

His mother looked at him sadly, “do not speak that way...”

“Why?”

“You don’t want to die, Orm,” Atlanna cupped his face with her hand and smiled. 

“There is so much light in you and yet you choose the darkness the most, I wish you could see what I see,” Atlanna said with a hint of sadness in her voice. 

Orm said nothing, he had no words to say to his mother for once.

The door to the room suddenly opened and nurses and doctors came rushing in to aid Orm, Atlanna explained everything was fine and they made their leave once looking him over.

There was a sonic boom heard throughout the hospital and Orm’s door opened once more. 

“Is everything okay? Is Orm-“ Arthur spoke until he saw his brother awake.

“Oh, thank the gods, I thought we lost you there for a second, Orm,” Arthur said.

“I’m fine, thank you, brother,” Orm waved Arthur away.

Arthur came up to Orm’s bedside and the unthinkable happened, he gave Orm a gentle hug. It was an awkward hug. Neither brothers have shown physical affection towards each other before, it was mostly resentment and physical fights instead.

Orm pushed Arthur away, “disgusting.”

Arthur laughed, “there he is!” 

Atlanna smiled at her two boys, she could get used to this. All she ever wanted was for them to be the best of brothers.

Two more days had passed and Orm was about to be released from the hospital since he was almost fully healed. Arthur stayed the last night to keep an eye on his little brother, making sure no one committed any ill intent towards him. Arthur fell asleep on the chair next to him, snoring loudly.

Unexpectedly, Orm screamed and woke Arthur up, who got his trident ready to attack anyone who was trying to kill his brother, but there was no one. 

Arthur looked at Orm, baffled trying to find the cause to his little brother’s screaming then realized Orm was panting and grabbing his chest to aid in calming his breathing. _He had a bad dream._

“It was a nightmare, Orm, that’s all it was,” Arthur swam next to his brother’s bed to comfort him, putting his hand on Orm’s shoulder.

“It felt... so real, I keep reliving it over and over. I want it to stop,” Orm’s body shook.

“I know, I’m sorry, Orm.”

“How could you know? You have no idea how it felt, you couldn’t even save me.”

Arthur opened and closed his mouth in shock. Orm just turned around on his bed and went back to sleep soundlessly.

Arthur clenched his fist and left the room, he didn’t need to protect Orm if his stubborn brother wasn’t going to appreciate his protection. Arthur went back to his own bedroom to retire for the night. 

Arthur would soon learn to regret that decision. He was woken up with terrible news. The Men of War rushed into his room, not even knocking. 

“This better be important,” Arthur grunted half-asleep. 

“My King... your brother has been attacked again,” one of the guards spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Arthur rubbed his eyes, trying to be more alert.

“His throat was cut, but Prince Orm managed to take out the assassin.”

Another guard pitched in, “this appears to not be the assassin who was trying to kill him directly. They hired another assassin to do their so-called dirty work.”

“Is Orm-“

“Orm is alive and well, he is in the hospital being treated for his wounds... again.”

“Thank you, I’ll go to him now,” Arthur responded, thanking the guards and swimming off to see his brother. 

_I should’ve been there for him,_ Arthur thought... _stupid, stupid, stupid._

Arthur swam into Orm’s room, announcing his presence by banging his trident on the ground.

Orm rolled his eyes and groaned, “I’m not dead yet, but I wish I were.”

“Cheer up, brother,” Arthur patted Orm on the shoulder but Orm shrugged him off.

Arthur motioned at the seaweed bandage across Orm’s neck, “does it- does it hurt?”

“Not as much as I thought it would. You should have seen the other guy.”

“I’m sorry I left Orm, it was stupid of me knowing someone out there wanted you dead,” Arthur looked down at the ground.

“No need to apologize,” Orm replied.

“Are you sure?” Arthur looked and sounded guilty.

“Yes, it’s fine,” Orm smiled weakly.

Atlanna came into the hospital room. She looked as if she was ready to explode, she couldn’t bear to see her son hurt like this over and over any longer.

“As the Queen and your worried mother, I am going to take you to the surface for the rest of your recovery. There isn’t going to be any ‘but’s’, do you understand, my son?” Atlanna stated very clearly.

Arthur tried to suppress a laugh but failed miserably.

Orm shot a glare at Arthur then looked at Atlanna blankly. She couldn’t be serious... could she?

“Mother, I don’t understand. What good will the surface do for me?”

“No one can find you or get you up there. While you are resting, Arthur will help down here to track down whoever is trying to kill you,” Atlanna explained her plan to her boys.

Orm listened attentively, taking in every word as if he was memorizing everything she ever said. 

Arthur snickered, “sounds like you’re going to the surface, have fun, little brother.”

“Oh, Arthur, you’re going too for the first day or so to help him out. I don’t want him to blow up the microwave in the lighthouse or something – Tom has had enough of Atlanteans destroying his house,” Atlanna told Arthur.

Arthur stopped laughing, “Me? Why do I have to babysit him? Who’s going to watch Atlantis?” 

“Because you know the most about the surface. Help your brother out, please. Mera and Vulko will help take care of things down here while you’re gone.”

Arthur groaned, “fine and then I’m coming right back to catch whoever’s trying to murder this arrogant-“

Atlanna coughed.

“I mean, Orm, we’ll catch your tryhard killer,” Arthur forced a smile.

Orm huffed. He was not going to enjoy this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Orm is going through it right now. Who was the voice that woke Orm up... or was it just his imagination? We shall see. Arthur and Orm are stubborn as ever, so I guess it runs in the family.   
> But I can assure you chapter 3 is probably going to be the most wholesome chapter. I can't wait to write Orm on the surface, I think it's going to be funny.


	3. Surface Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orm is forced to go to the surface to stay safe from whoever is trying to kill him. Arthur and Orm spend their day at the market to get items for a family dinner which goes surprisingly well. During his first night on the surface, Orm meets someone new, but is it a friend or foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, the summary is bad   
> :(( but writing this chapter was so fun lmao, it's a little break from Orm constantly almost dying so enjoy reading!

Arthur jumped up on the dock followed by Orm and Atlanna. Tom was waiting for them.

“All right, first things first, dad, this is Orm. Orm, this is Tom. Try not to kill each other,” Arthur said.

Tom stuck out his hand for Orm to shake. Orm glanced at Tom’s hand and walked straight past the old man. He curiously examined around the dock, taking one last look at the ocean before they went into the lighthouse.

“He’s a stubborn one, isn’t he?” Tom laughed.

“He’ll come around,” Atlanna comforted Tom.

Arthur leads them to the house, “before you go in Orm, you have to take off your Atlantean armor cause it’s soaking wet. Dad got some extra clothes for you from my closet. Here, pick some,” Arthur showed Orm clothes on a rack by the doorstep.

Orm looked at the clothes. The options are: a beanie, a light blue tank top, a sweater, athletic shorts, jeans that didn’t seem washed, and white socks.

Orm picked up the tank top and shorts then questioned with a disgusted look, “these are considered clothing on the surface?” 

“Just try them on, we’ll meet you inside.”

After Arthur dried himself with a towel, he grabbed the sweater and jeans and tossed them on himself quickly. Arthur handed Orm the towel then he went inside followed by Atlanna who was wearing a blouse and jeans. Tom joined them.

Orm looked at the garments and towel he was holding in his hands and sighed, “might as well.”

When Orm went inside, he heard laughter coming from the kitchen area. He saw his mother making some sort of beverage on a surface and Tom was next to her, they were talking and he was making her laugh. _Orvax never made Atlanna laugh like that._

Orm took a look around the lighthouse, intrigued at how simple surface dwellers lived. He moved to the living room and sat down on the couch. There was a picture framed on the table in front of him. He picked it up, examining it, and saw his mother, Arthur as a baby, and Tom.

He smiled, _it must have been nice to have such a life, brother._ Atlanna used to tell him stories of Arthur as an infant, of a better life than the one he was forced to live in Atlantis. 

Orm was made into a warrior at eight years of age, lost his mother at ten, became King at twelve on his birthday after his father was assassinated by one of his many enemies, and Orm ruled Atlantis ever since.... until his half-brother seized the throne. 

Orm scowled at the picture now and put it back, turning it in the opposite direction of himself.

The day went by slowly and Orm lounged by himself on the couch in the living room mostly. He never seemed to be stress-free, this was a new feeling for him. 

He found a device called a remote in between the couch cushions used to control the other device called a television. 

When Arthur was explaining how things work in the house, he told Orm how people up here “channel surf” when they have nothing better to do, “it’s like surfing on a wave,” he explained. _Whatever that meant_.

Arthur came down the stairs suddenly.

“Mom and dad are going out so I’m gonna go into town to stock up on stuff for dinner, would you like to come?” Arthur offered Orm who was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels. Orm had to admit, _it was quite boring_.

“Yes, it will be a nice learning experience on my part,” Orm replied, turning the TV off and got ready to leave.

Arthur and Orm made their way to a marketplace and went to a stand where a man was selling fish.

“We’ll take ten,” Arthur said to the man.

“Big party, eh?” The man replied as he was putting raw fish from an icebox into a plastic bag for them to carry.

“You could say that,” Arthur chuckled.

Orm grabbed a fish out of the bag, examined it, and started to consume it.

The man paused his fish scooping and stared at Orm awkwardly.

“Uh heh, he’s just very enthusiastic about the fish,” Arthur laughed nervously and mouthed to Orm to put it back in the bag.

Orm obliged and dropped the fish back into the plastic baggy with the other fish. After Arthur paid and apologized for his brother’s actions, Arthur dragged Orm away and the two continued walking around the store.

“Do humans not eat fish raw?” Orm asked.

“Well, they can but it’s complicated.” 

“Everything up here is so strange,” he looked around.

“You’ll get used to it,” Arthur reassured him.

“is that Aquaman? Aquaman, over here!” A voice shouted.

Arthur looked over at a group of high schoolers, “Hey, everyone!”

“Can we get a picture?” One of the teens asked.

“Course!” Arthur made his way to them.

Orm rolled his eyes. _Hm. Typical._

Orm walked off and became so distracted by gazing around at all the different foods the surface had that he didn’t realize he was going to crash into someone.

Crash.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry-“ 

Orm was going to go off about how surface dwellers should watch where they’re going when he saw a woman standing in front of him. She had short, dark hair. The bluest eyes he had ever seen for a human. And she was wearing glasses to help her see.

Orm was awestruck and at a loss for words.

“Are you okay? I didn’t see you there and- Tommy, get over here please!” 

A young boy about eight years old with brown hair and the likeness of the woman came running, “sorry, mom... can we get ice cream?” The child asked.

“Maybe later, sweetie,” the woman replied.

“Okay,” he sounded disappointed but understanding.

“Who’s this?” Tommy looked up at Orm.

“I’m- I’m Orm.” 

Tommy giggled, “that’s a funny name.”

Orm’s cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, he never thought about how surface dwellers would react to Atlantean names.

The woman spoke up, “I’m Erin, Erin Shaw. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Orm. And I’m sorry for Tommy’s behavior,” Erin nudged her son.

“Ugh, okay... sorry, Mr. Orm,” Tommy apologized.

Orm didn’t know what the child was apologizing for, _it must be a surface dweller thing._ But he nodded and accepted the apology anyway. 

“We better get going,” Erin ruffled Tommy’s hair, “See you around?” 

“Perhaps,” Orm replied. 

And with that, the two surface dwellers walked away from him. 

Orm turned around and saw Arthur grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. _Oh, great Neptune. Arthur is going to bother me about this forever._

“Dude, you’ve got game!” Arthur slung his arm around Orm. 

Orm groaned and pushed him off, “please don’t tell mother.”

“That you have a crush? On a surface dweller? I wouldn’t dream of it,” Arthur teased him.

“Let’s just go back to your home,” Orm grabbed the bags from Arthur and stalked away, sulking.

When the brothers arrived home it was 6 p.m. Orm put the bags on the countertop and decided to retire back to the living room for the evening until dinner was ready. Arthur chose to make their family dinner since Atlanna and Tom were still out on their date supposedly. 

Orm laid on the couch, resting his eyes.

Arthur started cooking and turned on rock music on the radio. 

“Brother, can you turn that atrocious sound off?” Orm asked Arthur.

“What?” Arthur shouted back. 

“Turn it down!” 

“WHAT?!” Arthur shouted and turned it up instead.

“Forget it,” Orm got up in defeat and went outside the lighthouse to get some air instead. 

It was beautiful outside. The ocean was calm. The sun was setting which made for an orange-purplish sunset, like a painting. Orm has never seen a sunset before, he took several minutes to admire the stunning colors of the sky. 

Orm walked along the beach, letting his feet sink into the sand and the wind ruffle his blond hair.

“Orm... Orm... Orm...” A voice whispered, almost disguising itself on the breeze.

Orm looked around, confused as to who or what was calling his name. _It’s my imagination,_ Orm used this thought to comfort himself. The last time he heard this voice was before he was woken up from his coma. He thought it was his imagination then, so it must be his imagination now. _Right?_

“Who’s there?” he called out.

“Come...find... me... Ocean Master...” The voice sighed on the wind. 

“Orm, come back – it’s time to eat!” Atlanna shouted to her son from the house. _Mother and Tom must be back now._

He took one last look at the ocean from where the whispers seemed to originate before making his way back to the lighthouse.

When Orm entered the house; Atlanna was setting the table, Arthur was getting the food ready, and Tom was already at the table which had four seats for all of them. Orm sat down awkwardly on a chair next to Tom. 

Once Atlanna had set the table, she sat down across from Tom. Arthur brought the food for them and sat down opposite his brother. He made cooked salmon with a side of fried potatoes and salad with tomatoes and cucumbers for all of them.

Orm looked at his plate curiously examining the food. He watched everyone else pick up the tool with what appeared to be four prongs then dig into their food. Orm did the same, not wanting to feel excluded.

Arthur watched Orm take a bite of the cooked fish, “so... what do you think?”

Orm chewed and forcefully swallowed it, “it’s fine, I think.” 

“It must be weird having surface food, huh? You’ll get used to it,” Arthur comforted him. 

“Anyway, how was your guys’ date?” Arthur shifted his focus to their mother.

“It was great, it’s nice to get out again and be on the surface. Tom bought me flowers too,” Atlanna motioned her head to a vase of recently placed flowers on the counter. 

Orm took a long sip of water, wanting to avoid conversation about certain family affairs. 

“That’s good, mom. I’m glad you’re happy again,” Arthur smiled. 

“What about you? What did you two do today?” Atlanna questioned her sons.

“Watched the television,” Orm mumbled into his glass of water he was taking a sip from.

“What was that?”

“We went to the store and Orm is in loveee with a surface dweller,” Arthur teased him.

With flushed cheeks from embarrassment, Orm set the glass down a tad bit too hard and it shattered, “I am not!” 

He looked at the broken glass in his hand, “sorry...”

“You okay?” Tom was the only one concerned about the glass shattering until he remembered Orm is also Atlantean and would not get hurt by broken glass like a human would.

“I’m all right,” Orm got up from the table to put the shards of glass in a trash bin before sitting back down.

“What is this about a surface dweller?” Atlanna asked him.

“I met a surface dweller - well, moreover crashed into - at the market and we spoke for a minute, that’s all,” Orm stated plainly. 

Atlanna beamed, “that’s amazing, Orm. I’m glad you’re fitting right in with the surface!” 

After that, dinner passed quickly and by the time the family was done, it was 9:30 p.m.

“Welp... I’m gonna settle down for the night, it was nice getting to know you, Orm,” Tom said and reached out his hand for Orm to shake.

Not wanting to be rude or stir up something, Orm accepted the handshake this time, and nonchalantly replied, “likewise.”

After Atlanna and Tom went to bed, Arthur found Orm a blanket and a pillow for sleeping on the couch. 

“You sure this is all you need?” Arthur asked.

“Yes, this will suffice,” Orm replied, grabbing the items. 

“Okay, don’t be afraid to ask me for anything else.”

“Why would I be afraid?” Orm tilted his head to the side, questioning.

“Wh- never mind. Goodnight, Orm,” Arthur turned off the light in the living room and went to his own bedroom. 

As the hours of the night ticked by, Orm tossed and turned on the couch trying to get comfortable. He was not used to sleeping like this at all, nothing seemed to work. Finally, he stared up at the ceiling in defeat seeing if that would help. _No, perhaps some water will aid me._

It was 3 a.m., Arthur gazed at the alarm clock next to his bed. He would be returning to Atlantis tomorrow to investigate who was trying to murder his brother. Arthur sighed and moved to get comfortable again. 

There was a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye in the shadows and Arthur panicked. He ceased breathing to see if he could hear anyone in the room with him. _Nothing._

A small light was in front of him on the wall and the rest was darkness, Arthur concentrated on the light to go back to sleep. A dark figure passed in front of the light which caused Arthur to pull his blanket up more. _What the hell was that?! Am I just imagining things now? No, no... I need to go back to sleep. You’re okay, Arthur. You just have a big day tomorrow and you’re nervous. That’s all it is, nerves,_ Arthur reassured himself and went back to sleep.

Orm was in the kitchen getting a glass of water when he heard rustling outside. He looked out the window towards the ocean but saw nothing.

“Come to me, King Orm, come to me...” A voice whispered almost as if it was behind him, but not quite there like it was fading from in and out of reality. 

_There it is, that voice again._ Orm turned around and still saw nothing. 

Orm sighed and was about to go back to the couch until he did a double-take and saw his reflection in the window. 

It was himself as the Ocean Master. His mask with the red glowing eyes was staring back at him, enveloped in a cloud of darkness. He felt a heavy dreadfulness in his chest. 

The figure’s red eyes blinked at him and unexpectedly, at an inhuman speed, was at the docks. It gave one last look at him like it was challenging him to follow then plummeted into the depths below.

_Challenge accepted, fiend_. Orm went to the closet which held his Atlantean armor and put it on quickly. He looked at his helmet sitting on the floor and decided against putting it on after what he saw.

He went outside the lighthouse, making sure to lock the door behind him. Orm ran to the docks and went into the Atlantic Ocean after the creature. 

After several minutes, Orm followed it to the edge of a trench where the figure disappeared into the darkness below. 

He took a deep breath of the sea and exhaled, “Gods help me.” 

Orm swam for miles to get to the bottom of what seemed like an endless trench. He had to take short breaks to catch his breath every now and then. Even for an Atlantean, he felt weary swimming – the ocean pressure yearned to crush him. 

Eventually, Orm arrived at the very bottom of the deepest trench there ever was. His whole body was shaking from the pressure threatening to crush him like an insect at any second and his nose started to run with blood, he was going to die if he didn’t get out of here. Orm went where no Atlantean has gone before. _I suppose I’m the only one mad enough to do this,_ he thought. 

“We meet at last, Ocean Master,” a male voice said distinctly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and Orm's dynamic is fun to write tbh. I assumed how dceu Orvax died and when Orm became King too by using the comics, sorry if it turns out to be inaccurate in the future of the dceu lol. Oh, I gave Erin dark hair instead of blonde bc dceu Orm is blond instead of having dark hair like his comic counterpart, just decided to switch things up like they did in the dceu. I also took some inspiration from Orm's year of the villain (the ending of this chapter) but I twisted it a little. I suppose everything is inspired by something, so if you're an Orm stan you may recognize some stuff from the comics. <3


	4. Demons In The Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orm comes across a trident when he was led to a trench by a mysterious figure. He soon meets this mystery man. Arthur and Atlanna are worried for Orm’s safety, as he doesn’t seem like himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update lmao I was having family issues then got unmotivated to update but I’m back (hopefully) enjoy reading.

Arthur awoke in his bed to the sun peeking through beige curtains. He could immediately tell something was off, he heard his mother’s panicked tone downstairs talking to his dad.

He stretched and hastily put on a shirt then made his way down the stairs to see what had her so alarmed.

“What’s going on?” Arthur asked once he reached the bottom.

“Orm’s gone. He isn’t in the house and we can’t find him anywhere outside,” Atlanna’s voice quivered. 

“Shit. Could he have gone back to Atlantis?”

Atlanna ran a hand through her almost silver platinum blonde hair. “Maybe. But why would he go back there? What if someone took him? I can’t imagine...” She attempted to stifle her tears, but they began to stream down her face anyway.

“I’ll find him – don’t worry, Mom. It’s my job to watch after my pain in the ass little brother.” Arthur reassured Atlanna by giving her a small hug before going to retrieve Atlan’s trident and his suit to go back to Atlantis.

_ Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. _

“Wh-who are you... or more pr-precisely, w-what are you?” Orm hunched over on the very bottom of the seafloor shuddering, his lips turning blue from the more than normal freezing temperatures he was accustomed to and the lack of oxygen he could barely receive into his lungs from the surrounding waters.

His nose continued to run with blood and he could feel some of the crimson liquid trickling down his neck from his ears before dissipating into the ocean. Orm also possibly had a few broken bones from the devastating pressure.

_I’m going to die down here – not even a noble death_ ,  he thought.

“Oh, don’t fret, Ocean Master... I wouldn’t let that happen,” the male voice called out.

Orm looked for the source of the voice in the darkness of the crevice he was in and his eyes rested on a shining dark trident pulsing with what appeared to be a purple electrical aura. 

“Wh-who said that?” Orm shook.

“Take the trident and you’ll live. If you don’t, well... we know what happens,” the voice tempted him, “the choice is yours, Ocean Master.

Was it his choice? Or the creature’s temptations? Orm didn’t know. But right now, he had no other decision. It was life or death, and he was too prideful to die in a trench where no one would ever find his pathetic corpse.

Orm moaned in pain and dragged his broken body over to the trident. He hesitantly reached his hand out and gripped it. Instantly, he could feel the pulsing energy inside him. _ The chaotic storms on the surface... this must be how they feel. _

The electricity filled up every inch of his body, mending everything that was broken from the pressure of the ocean. With the hair on his arms rising from the static electricity and his eyes radiating violet, Orm shot up from the dark corners of the trench to the surface almost instantaneously. 

Orm must have passed out because the next thing he knew, he woke up on a beach. The bright rays of the sun were shining down on his eyes which he quickly shielded away from. Calm waves doused the shore and seagulls called to each other in the distance. It’s the start of a brand new day.

_That was some dream_ ,  Orm rubbed his temples and sat up. To his horror, he realized he held the trident that he discovered at the bottom of the sea.

“No, no, no!” Orm threw it away from himself in the sand and immediately tensed up and seized on the ground as if the newfound electrical power in his body suddenly wished him dead. 

Orm screamed in agony, “WHAT IS THIS TRICKERY?!” 

“Oh, Ormy... so naive. How did I get this lucky?” The voice laughed. “You should hurry to the trident if you want to continue your new life,”  the voice was in his head now, taunting him.

With no other choice but to ensure his survival, Orm dragged himself across the beach to where he threw the trident, coughing up blood every few seconds. After what felt like an eternity, he gripped the trident in his hand again and sucked in a deep breath while wiping the blood from his mouth.

“What was that?!” He shouted at the air, shaking his one free fist. He would seem like a madman to anyone passing by, but the beach appeared to be isolated. 

A shadowy mass manifested itself from nowhere. 

Orm opened his mouth in shock. “It was you... you lead me to the trident, why?” He demanded answers.

“I wanted to be free,” the mass simply answered him.

“What about my freedom?!” Orm questioned angrily.

“A small price to pay,” the shadow responded like he could not care less about what happened to the Atlantean. 

Orm looked at the ground. “Do... do you have a name?” 

“Hell called me Neron,” he replied nonchalantly. “You know, Ocean Master... I think we would make a fine team.” Neron changed himself to a more humanoid form and smirked at him.

Uninterested in the demon’s antics, Orm scoffed, “tell me about this weapon.” He held up the trident to his new friend.

“If you insist...” Neron snaked his way around Orm and touched a tip of the trident causing a  bzzt sound.

“Enough games, demon!” Orm bellowed at the creature. “Go on, or you will be sent back to Hell by my own doing. This is a warning.”

“All right, all right. You got me,” he sneered, not fazed by the Atlantean’s threat.

“I gave this trident as a gift to a King, similar to you a long time ago. But he didn’t appreciate it and instead of using it for my biddings which he refused to do when I called upon him, he only did what his people wanted – he wanted to be a hero,” Neron spat the word hero out like it was poison.

He continued, “One day, he went insane and his people feared his madness, so they bound me to this trident and threw it in the deepest trench they could find... I went down along with it and became imprisoned. Now we’re here.” The demon looked around, appreciating the view.

Orm nodded. “So, I guess this begs the question: why me?”

Neron smiled wickedly and cupped Orm’s face. “Because you, Ocean Master, are no hero.”

Orm uncomfortably removed Neron’s cold hand from his face. “How did you... find me?” Orm struggled to find the right words to quiz the demon carefully, knowing that demons are tricky entities.

“Oh, the trident called to you, not me. I just followed its desires by going in my astral form to bring you to the trench. Course I messed with you for a bit,” Neron let out a chuckle. “But you freed me and the weapon from imprisonment and therefore we’re yours now,” he stated, looking bored out of his mind from being interrogated by the former King of Atlantis. 

Orm thought everything over and gazed at the weapon in his hands. “Why does it hurt me if I’m not holding it?”

“Dunno, it just does. Now if we’re done here... I’d like to destroy the world for what they’ve done to me.”

“I’m sorry? You want to what?” Orm was taken aback.

“You heard me. Look Ormy, I know you tried to destroy the surface because they’ve polluted your waters or whatever and now you magically get a second chance to finish the job. This doesn’t just happen every day. What do you say, partner?” Neron put out his hand for Orm to shake on it.

Orm peered down at the demon’s hand. “I... I don’t know.”

“Aw, don’t tell me you’ve gone soft.” The demon suddenly lashed out at him and the trident flew from Orm’s hands into Neron’s. Orm collapsed on the ground shrieking from the pain of electricity shooting throughout his body. 

Neron looked at Orm from above waving a finger at him. “Tsk, tsk – Ocean Master.”

He placed the trident in Orm’s hands and Orm got up, backing away from him. 

“Do we have a deal?” Neron’s voice was impatient, wanting to execute his plans already. He turned around to admire the view of the ocean to give Orm a few minutes to ponder, already knowing the Ocean Master would join in his quest to destroy the world either way.

_ I have no other choice_, Orm thought,  _ he’ll kill me otherwise.  _

The demon turned around to face him and smirked. “That’s right.”

“You can read my thoughts?”

“Always with the questions, Ormy!” He walked over and patted Orm on the back. “We’re connected now... you and I, by the damned trident.”

“And I can give you something you want... I can help you get back your throne you so desperately desire,” Neron offered.

Orm perked up at this offer and finally sighed, “...We have a deal, Neron.”

“I like you.” Neron gave him that wicked smile again and transformed back into a dark mass before making his way into the trident again.

It was the afternoon when Orm arrived at the lighthouse, if he was going to destroy the surface he may as well have his helmet for more protection. Who knows what threats await him?

Orm observed the lighthouse from a distance trying to see if anyone was home or not. His mother and Tom were most likely home, but he would sneak in and out,  easy. 

He moved to the door and opened it silently, striving to make no noise whatsoever. Orm saw a figure laying on the couch snoring,  _ it must be Tom. _

Orm advanced his position to behind the couch and he glanced down at his mother’s love.  _ It would be so easy to destroy him right here and now, surface dwellers are so very fragile. _

Orm pushed the dark thought out of his mind and went to the closet to pick up what he came for – his silver, beloved Ocean Master helmet.

As he was about to leave he heard footsteps come down the stairs.

_Damn_ ,  was all Orm could think.

“Orm?” He made out his mother’s voice.

“Orm! My son! I was worried sick, where have you been?” Atlanna rushed over to hug him.

Orm didn’t accept her hug, he gently pushed her away. “It’s none of your concern, Mother.”

“It is my concern when you’ve been gone without any notice! I thought someone had taken you and-“ Atlanna started to weep. 

Neron unexpectedly popped into Orm’s thoughts groaning in annoyance:“A _w, cute little family reunion..._ _get it over with already or I will interfere._ ”

“I’m sorry, Mother. I have to go,” Orm apologized hastily, not wanting Neron to interfere; fearing what he would do to her. 

He staggered out of the lighthouse with tears in his eyes,  _ water in my eyes... I forget I can feel them on the surface – the tears. _

Atlanna ran out of the lighthouse after her son. “Orm, come back, please! At least tell me where you’re going!” She shouted at him, but her calls seemed to fall on deaf ears. Atlanna stopped going after him at a certain point, knowing her son wouldn’t come back no matter how much she wanted him to.

Orm heard her cries and wiped away his tears with his gloved hand. 

“Wipe those tears away, princess,” Neron snickered. 

Orm stopped running and shook the trident with the demonic entity in it. “Must you be so insufferable and an arrogant fool?” He yelled at it. 

“Careful,” the demon warned him. “I would choose your next words wisely.”

Orm flopped onto the ground and rubbed his eyes sighing, “I don’t know what has got into me lately.”

“Me,” Neron joked.

Orm‘s eyes shot daggers at the trident in his hand. “Is there a mute option?”

“Afraid not.”

“Shame.” He got up then and put on his helmet to continue his mission of sinking the surface world.

Atlanna didn’t know what else to do, so she called her eldest son to help. Arthur immediately dropped everything he was doing and practically sky-rocketed to the surface. 

While she waited for his arrival, she made some tea for them and sat down at the table. Looking out the window, it was noticeable a storm was brewing in the dark ominous clouds. 

Arthur opened the door to the lighthouse. “I came as soon as you called, Mom.”

Atlanna got up to hug her son. “Thank you, Arthur. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

The two sat down at the table and Atlanna offered a cup of green tea to Arthur, while not much of a tea drinker he accepted the warm beverage. 

“So.. what exactly happened?” Arthur asked her before taking a sip of his drink.

Atlanna sighed, “Orm came here for some reason. I think it was to get his helmet. The point is, he wasn’t himself and he has a new trident with him, but it’s not one I recognize.” 

Arthur thought this over while scratching his beard. “What seemed off to you?”

“He didn’t hug me back. He didn’t seem completely there – he just seemed... so disconnected.”

“More than normal?” Arthur tried to lighten the mood.

“Arthur, this is a serious matter,” Atlanna stated.

“Right. Sorry.”

Arthur continued, “I don’t know, Mom. He could have just woken up and decided he wants to cut us off, that happens to people more often than you think.”

“No, no. I know my own son and Orm wouldn’t do this.” Atlanna wiped away tears that threatened to spill. 

“I mean... he started a war, he killed his own people. He’s not the same Orm you knew twenty years ago.” 

Atlanna sniffled and nodded her head. “Maybe you’re right.”

Arthur got up and hugged his mom. “I have to go back to Atlantis now to catch a criminal or a few, but let me know if anything else happens, all right?” 

“Of course, Arthur.” Atlanna returned the hug.

And with that, Arthur went back to Atlantis to investigate the case of his brother‘s attempted assassinations. Of course, Arthur worried more about his brother now more than ever because of their mother suspecting Orm wasn’t himself.

_ I will get to the bottom of this. No matter what it takes,  _ Arthur settled down on his throne and pondered.

It’s going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, I was going to create a demon OC but I decided against it and just used Neron (who gave preN52 Orm his trident). This trident causes Orm pain every time he doesn’t hold it so I incorporated that into my fic. Since nobody really cares for Neron I wrote him my way, hope y’all don’t mind.  
> Anyway, I think Arthur stans will like my next chapter. See ya!


	5. Detective King Arthur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur attempts to figure out who keeps trying to assassinate his brother. Orm pays a visit to Gotham, meeting one of Arthur’s friends. Things quickly go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the latest Aquaman issue, I am so sorry. Take this Orm content because you are braver than the US marines. Also, It’s been a while, hope you didn’t miss this fic too much... enjoy!

“So let me get this straight... you’re telling us your half-brother Orm was King of Atlantis, he wanted to destroy us, your mother who you thought was dead is alive, and now you’re King of Atlantis after fighting Orm,” Bruce said, trying to put everything Arthur told them into place.

“You left out the part where I got the cool trident, but basically, yeah,” Arthur stated.

The Justice League consisting of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, and the newest addition to the team: Shazam, all shared looks. 

“Atlantis is real?! When can we see it?” Barry asked excitedly, almost buzzing with energy. 

“Maybe one day,” Arthur assured Barry who he thought of as a little brother. “But right now Orm is missing and I need help finding him, so if any of you see him or anything contact me.” 

Arthur thought back to the briefing he gave the Justice League,  _ hopefully Orm turns up. _

With his brother declared missing and their mother worried sick, Arthur carried out some of his own research in Atlantis about hate groups that could want Orm dead for failing to reach his goal of decimating the surface. Arthur concluded that it was a group and not the work of one man. One man, without the help of others, couldn’t possibly get past the security which still used Orm’s strict schedules. 

Arthur didn’t think the other kingdoms would send an assassin and commit treason against the one true King of Atlantis. Sure, they had good reason to but no one would dare do such a thing when Arthur wielded the Trident of Atlan. 

He spent hours researching in the library with many researchers by his side looking for certain clues in the holographic books. 

“What about this group?” Arthur pulled an image from a book onto a screen nearby for the researchers, including his vizier, Vulko to look at. 

The image was a picture of a group of victorious soldiers in a battle posing with shining purple armor coating their bodies. “They have purple armor, like Orm’s Ocean Master suit. It’s the same armor that one assassin was wearing who Orm took out when they tried to kill him in the hospital.”

Vulko piped in while checking the stats over each of the Atlanteans in the photo, “could be, all of them recently resigned from the Atlantean army.” 

“I’ll pay a visit to the group myself with Mera as back up,” Arthur stated. “The rest of you stay here and continue to research if my hunch is wrong.” 

Everyone bowed and Arthur left to gather Mera to aid him in taking down this group. Even if they weren’t Orm’s wannabe assassins, it would still bring him great relief to know that he took down a hate group that was against his best interests. 

“If I may ask, why are you bringing me and not the Men-of-War or the Drift?” Mera questioned her love. 

“Because I trust you the most,” Arthur replied simply. “And you’re pretty badass.” 

Mera’s cheeks turned rose red and Arthur flashed a toothy grin at her. The two took a ship to where he suspected the group would be laying low, where the high borns never go — the old city of Atlantis which sank thousands of years ago. 

While Mera drove the ship around looking for anything that could catch their eyes, Arthur decided to make conversation since he couldn’t stand the awkward stillness in the water anymore. 

“So... what was your childhood like?” 

Mera laughed, “you’re really going with that?” 

“No, no, I’m genuinely curious. I wanna know,” Arthur replied.

“All right, if you want to know so badly... it was decent.”

“Aw, c’mon! That’s all you’re gonna give me?” Arthur nudged her, wanting her to continue. 

Mera sighed. “Well, you know, I was taken in by Atlanna because my parents were absent fighting in the wars. Orm was one of my only best friends at the time, but of course, he was rarely around because he was always training with his father.” 

“What was he like – Orm as a kid? The same I imagine. Just a smaller, brattier version,” Arthur laughed at the idea of a little Orm screaming at him. 

Mera twisted her face in disagreement. “Believe it or not, Orm was a nice child. He was always kind to me, nothing less. He was bright and sweet, everyone in Atlantis loved him. He wasn’t always the monster he is now.” 

Arthur slightly cringed at Mera calling Orm a monster, but it was understandable. He understood it was hard for Mera to change her mind about his brother after all that he’s done, some people just never overcome their differences. 

“I used to tease him with his nickname, ‘Ormy.’ Gods, he hated that name,” Mera laughed. “We used to also go on adventures together. Sometimes Orm was a rebel and would skip his tutored meetings just to play chase with me in shipwrecks.” Mera smiled at the memories she had with her childhood best friend. 

“But of course things change. Once Atlanna was sacrificed to the Trench, he was never the same. It’s like the bright light inside of him went out and never came back.” Mera looked off into the distance, reminiscing. 

Arthur knew then that if he and his brother met when they were children things would be different, maybe they would even be best friends. He smiled at the thought of him and Orm as children playing chase in a shipwreck,  _ if only things turned out differently. If only. _

Suddenly, an alarm in the ship went off. 

“What’s that?!” Arthur questioned. 

“It’s a motion sensor. It sensed movement in one of the old buildings. Let’s check it out.” 

Arthur and Mera hid the ship a distance from the building the group was hiding in. They swam swiftly and quietly to the building, scanning the perimeter carefully. 

“I don’t think they have guards on watch,” Arthur said through his comm to Mera.

“A grave mistake,” Mera replied. 

The two made their way into the ancient building, disguising themselves in the shadows to add an element of surprise for their enemies. Arthur hid behind a column and Mera the other one when they heard voices talking to each other. Some Atlanteans stood over a dimly lit stone table, holographic papers with what could only be plans sprawled across it. 

Arthur managed to make out some of the voices. 

“We lost the target, it’s as if he completely vanished when he went to the surface.” 

“That damned blond fish face probably ran away on purpose like the coward he is.” 

Arthur made his hand into a fist. Mera, a column away from Arthur, noticed this and motioned for him to stand down. 

“The next time we see him, I’ll kill him with my own two hands to make sure he stays dead!” One of them shouted while the rest of them cheered. 

Arthur gritted his teeth, anger seething through his body. He had heard enough. Arthur shot himself forward at the criminals and shattered the stone table with his trident. 

“Ah, the King has decided to join us today,” one of them sneered. 

“What can we do for ye?” Another laughed. 

“You won’t be harming my brother anymore. I’m here to make sure of it.” 

“Ohhh, I’m shivering in me boots,” another one taunted, getting a gun ready to blast Arthur. 

“No guns,” Arthur said and rushed forward, smashed the gun with his hands, and punched the man’s face; effectively knocking him unconscious. 

Mera turned up behind Arthur and used her hydrokinesis to tie up the other men with what appeared to be water chains. 

“You’re under arrest in the name of His Highness, King Arthur,” Mera said to the men. 

Arthur tied the men with real chains and loaded them into the ship he and Mera came in. 

While Arthur and Mera took them to a jail-like dungeon made only for the worst prisoners, one of the men spoke up, “why don’t you just kill us yourself? Isn’t it what we get for conspiring against the King?” 

“I made that mistake before, never again,” Arthur replied, turning his head towards their prisoners. There was silence for some time until they finally reached their destination. 

“We’re here,” Arthur grunted and let the guards apprehend the prisoners. 

“Hopefully the whole ordeal with them and Orm is over now,” he sighed slumping back into the seat. 

“You did good, Arthur,” Mera reassured him by putting a hand on his shoulder and reached over to give him a small peck on the cheek. 

“I just hope Orm’s okay,” Arthur spoke softly as if he were telling a secret no one else’s ears should hear. He didn’t care that much for Orm before everything happened, but ever since, the two have formed a small bond. Arthur became more of a protective big brother to his younger brother. Now he just wanted his family back. 

Unexpectedly, Arthur’s trident started trembling. “Um, that’s weird... this hasn’t happened before,” Arthur said while inspecting it. He let go of the trident and it shot through the sea. “Gotta go, Mera! See you later?!” Arthur shouted back at her and swam after his runaway trident. 

Orm stood at the coast of a large city buzzing with people.  _ Gotham, _ he read on a sign. Orm’s lips curved into a smile and he walked along the coast feeling the power of the trident course through his veins. He would sink this city as Atlantis sank to the ocean floor 7,000 years ago. 

Unfortunately and unbeknownst to Orm, an uninvited guest or rather a protector of this city surveilled him – the Bat of Gotham. 

Orm was about to step foot into the city when a figure landed in front of him.

“Who are you?” The voice growled at him, seemingly modified to disguise himself. 

“The Ocean Master,” Orm replied while licking his lips eager to take down the man in front of him. He was glad a challenger had come to face him, it made things more interesting. “And you are?” 

“Batman...” The figure stiffened. “You’re Arthur’s brother?” He asked. 

“Ah, you’ve heard of me. Good. Not many surface dwellers are as educated as you are, Batman.”

“Arthur informed me you were missing and I should keep an eye out for you.” 

Neron spoke up in Orm’s head, “come on, Ormy. Let’s get this show on the road!” 

Orm rubbed a hand on his temple to regain back his thoughts before stepping closer to the Batman. 

“I suggest you step aside so I can do what I came here for.” 

“And what’s that?” 

“To sink your precious city, of course.”

“You know I can’t let that happen, Ocean Master. Don’t resist and I can return you to your brother now,” Batman gave Orm a second chance to turn back home before all hell broke loose. 

Orm let out a half-hearted chuckle, “you think he cares enough to stop me a second time? He’s too busy being King!” Orm’s new trident flowed with violet electricity then.

Suddenly, smoke enveloped the area and Orm coughed.  _ A putrid smoke bomb, a weapon only a coward would use. _

Orm yelled in rage and jumped to where Batman was standing in front of him, except he wasn’t there anymore. The trident dangerously flickered with lightning and Orm’s eyes danced with electricity and anticipation.

“Your cowardice amuses me, Bat,” Orm called out in the smoke. 

A figure leaped from the shadows behind Orm and stabbed him in the shoulder with an Atlantean steel blade. Orm groaned in pain and looked at the blade lodged in his shoulder, proceeding to pull it out. 

“Where did you get this?!” 

“Your brother is resourceful,” Batman simply replied. 

This seemed to enrage Orm even more because after that statement his trident illuminated a light shade of blue and the red eyes of his helmet were transformed into a bright glowing blue color. The sea behind them rose and a tsunami replaced the calm sea, it was going to flood Gotham. 

“What the f–“ Batman looked up at the giant wave speeding towards Gotham, his city. 

A flash of orange and green jumped in front of the giant wave and he slammed Atlan’s golden trident down which made the wave return to normal. 

Orm’s helmet and trident went back to their default state. He looked at his brother and could only roll his eyes at Arthur’s entrance. 

After Arthur finished saving Gotham, he came up to the two men. 

“Hope you don’t mind me saving your city, Bruce,” Arthur said while flipping his wet hair behind him. 

Bruce nodded. “Thank you for coming, Arthur. Things were about to get out of hand.” 

“I came because my trident shook when I’m assuming Orm made that tsunami somehow and it led me here.” Arthur gestured behind him. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be taking my brother back home.” 

Orm spoke up, “you’re not taking me anywhere!” 

Arthur gave Orm a once-over and noticed he had a steel grip on a trident as if his livelihood depended on it. “New trident, Orm?” He said nervously.  _ This was the weapon their mother was talking about, it must’ve caused that giant wave.  _

“Oh, yes.” A devilish grin appeared across Orm’s face. 

“I read your brother’s mind... Go to Atlantis, he imprisoned the people who were trying to kill you. Now’s your chance to get vengeance,” Neron popped into Orm’s head. 

Orm gripped his head in pain from all the information Neron was feeding him. 

Arthur moved to try to hold Orm in case he fainted because his brother didn’t seem to be in the best condition, from the looks of it. 

“You okay?” Arthur asked with concern in his voice. 

“Stay back,” Orm growled and pushed Arthur away from him. He staggered back into the ocean and disappeared into a wave. 

“I’ll go after him,” Arthur told Bruce while shaking his head. 

“Be careful... he seemed more powerful than you originally described in the briefing,” Bruce warned Arthur. 

Arthur considered this before going after Orm in the ocean. He hastily swam after his brother. Eventually, Orm led him back to Atlantis.  _ What are you up to, little brother? _ Arthur narrowed his eyes. 

Arthur followed closely behind Orm but made sure to keep his distance. Orm took a hidden passage into Atlantis that even Arthur didn’t know about, he made a note to look into that later...  _ no need for unwanted guests in Atlantis. _

Orm eventually swam near the dungeon that Arthur put the prisoners in who wanted his brother dead. Before Arthur could confront Orm, he was gone. Orm vanished in front of his eyes.  _ Magic? Sorcery? A trick of the eyes? _ he didn’t know, but he heard screams coming from inside the dungeon. The dungeon was small, it was built to hold only the most dangerous people in Atlantis. Sharks roamed the halls of the prison and if anyone tried to break in or out they would be the next meal – except today. 

Arthur hastily swam to try to stop his brother from doing something he would regret, but it was too late. An electrical barrier suddenly surrounded the area of the prison and Arthur couldn’t get past it even if he tried his hardest. 

“ORM, LET ME IN! DON’T DO THIS!” Arthur continuously shouted from the blocked entrance. There were many screams of horror and excruciating pain from the Atlanteans locked up. In time, the electrical barrier came crashing down and Arthur rushed into the prison.

He was met with death. Bodies floated in the sea and their blood was freshly soaking the area transforming it into a red murky mess. Arthur covered his mouth in shock, he truly didn’t know what his brother was capable of. Arthur thought he was going to be sick until he saw Orm sitting at the end of a hallway who laughed maniacally to himself. 

Arthur cautiously swam over to him. “Oh God, Orm... What the hell have you done? What have you done?!” He wanted to shake his brother – to knock some sense into him, but he could only stare in disbelief at him. 

“I did what was necessary,” Orm replied as if he wasn’t even in the same room as Arthur. He looked like he was a thousand miles away. 

“Necessary? Dammit, Orm! You just massacred about 20 people! What is going on?” Arthur demanded answers. 

Suddenly, a humanoid figure enveloped in shadows emerged from the trident Orm held. 

“What the shit are you?” Arthur asked. 

The figure let out a chuckle, “Right down to it, eh? I’m Neron. Lord of Hell, blah blah. You get the gist.” Neron popped up behind Arthur and examined Atlan’s trident. “Interesting relic, if I do say so myself.” 

“What did you do to my brother?” 

“Nothing that wasn’t there before. I simply encouraged him,” Neron said while motioning his hands. “You’re like Ormy here, always asking questions,” he fake-pouted. 

Arthur glanced at his brother still slumped on the wall. He was mumbling something in Atlantean that Arthur didn’t understand. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for Orm, he didn’t deserve to be used by the demon. No one did. Arthur looked back at Neron. 

“Leave Orm alone or-“ 

“Or what?” Neron smirked and walked over to Orm. “He’s just so cute, he’s got a face no one can resist.” The demon cupped the blond Atlantean’s face and scrunched it. 

Arthur had seen enough, he was about to charge when Neron kicked the trident out of Orm’s hands. Orm suddenly let out a howl of pain and Arthur saw electricity shock his body, making him seize. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Neron spoke over Orm’s screams. 

“Stop! You’re hurting him!” Arthur practically begged the Lord of Hell to put an end to his brother’s suffering. 

“If you say so,” Neron sighed and put the trident back into Orm’s hands. The screaming ceased almost immediately and Orm curled onto the floor holding the weapon. 

Arthur breathed out a long sigh of relief and tried to go over to comfort his little brother, to tell him everything was going to be okay when Neron went back into the trident. 

Orm almost instantaneously disappeared in front of Arthur’s eyes. 

“No, no... damn you, Neron!” Arthur shouted at where his brother was five seconds ago. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground. 

Arthur stayed like that for a while. Orm was gone after murdering 20 people in cold blood, a demon was possessing him, and he was going to destroy the surface for all Arthur knew. He felt utterly hopeless,  _ how did this get so out of my control? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve decided to change the title of this fic because I disliked it and I always thought it would be temporary anyway for that sole reason. But hope you enjoyed, hopefully the next chapter doesn’t take as long for me to do. I’ve just been going through it.


	6. Too Far Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orm builds his army and Arthur brings the family to the fight. Tragedy eventually strikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays, hope everyone got what they asked for :)

It has been months since the last time Orm saw Arthur when Neron teleported him away. It was December now, and the air in most places became cold and dry. The former King of Atlantis who was still possessed by the demon now hid far away from Atlantis in a small town in Louisiana so as to not draw attention to himself. 

He had been training all these months, to prepare himself to take back what was rightfully his. Orm training himself on the surface with the magic of the trident and the addition of Neron’s power would be an absolutely unstoppable force. Neron had been particularly quiet for the time being, only rarely popping in to chat with his new friend because Orm played his role so perfectly. 

Orm took up residence in an abandoned warehouse. The place was quite small and drafty, but it allowed him to survive. He would often sneak out into the night and go to the ocean to grab a bite to eat and stay hydrated, but would usually come back to his safe house right after. 

Orm sometimes had nightmares of people out to kill him, his paranoia was inescapable. He would only wake up from these nightmares from his screams filled with anguish because he let go of the trident that causes him great agony if it wasn’t in his hands. 

Now, he sat in the darkness with rain pattering outside on broken windows and the wind howling, it was almost cathartic to him. He began to stare at his reflection in a broken mirror. His blond hair was matte from a recent swim in the saltwater and his ocean eyes were so very exhausted. He glanced at the jagged pieces of himself in the mirror and looking back at him was an empty shell of the man he was before. That’s all he was now, an empty vessel for this demon. _Was Ocean Master the demon, or was Neron?_ He often contemplated this thought daily.

Atlantis failed him and the surface will pay dearly for that price. He was almost ready to take it all back – all he needed was an army.

No matter though, Orm’s thoughts drifted to a rig he discovered when he wandered off in the ocean one night. He heard constant agonizing screams coming from it. After observing and overhearing conversations using his superhuman hearing for almost a week, he discovered that humans were being changed into water-breathers and creatures to work for a man named Lex Luthor. These people, _now his people_ , were forced to work on the rig to aid in polluting the oceans even more. _The cruel ironies,_ Orm thought. 

“I’m coming for you, Luthor,” Orm vowed to no one in particular. 

He put on his helmet and once again looked at the fragmented reflection. It felt wrong as if it wasn’t his own – it was the monster’s within him. The red glowing eyes of his mask seemed to mock him. Orm looked away and instead turned his gaze to the trident he found at the bottom of a trench months ago. He headed out to the rig in the sea where he would liberate the sea-changed people and build his army.

Arthur, Atlanna, and even Mera have been worrying about Orm for months. Ever since he seemed to teleport away it’s been radio silence. Wherever Orm was hiding, he was damn good at it.

Arthur and Atlanna currently sat in the kitchen of the Curry lighthouse drinking tea, they decided to make it a habit every Friday for some mother-and-son bonding time. 

“It’s been four months, Mom. I doubt he’s gonna show up anytime soon,” Arthur told Atlanna, who had been panicking the whole time about her other son being missing. 

“It’s still nice to have some hope,” Atlanna replied while smiling weakly and taking a sip of her tea.

When Arthur told her about how Orm tried to sink Gotham, massacred 20 imprisoned Atlanteans, then disappeared, and hasn’t been heard from since she’s been different. Her heart broke for her son. She hoped he could find redemption after the war he brought upon the kingdoms, but things seemed bleak now.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up sometime sooner or later.” Arthur returned her smile. 

“The next time he shows up I will be there to help you,” Atlanna firmly stated. She got up with her empty mug and went to the sink to rinse it off and place it in the dishwasher. Arthur’s eyes followed her movement.

“But Mom-“

“No buts, I don’t want to see my two sons try to kill each other again.”

Arthur was silent then spoke in a mumble, “what if I can’t save him? What if he’s too far gone?”

“Nonsense, Arthur. If anyone can help him, it’s you. You’ve done it before,” Atlanna reassures her eldest. “Have some faith in yourself. You’ve been King and a hero to people for months and you’ve been doing great.”

Arthur let out a long sigh, but not in relief – moreover exhaustion. “Maybe you’re right, I just need to put an end to this and everything can go back to normal.” _Whatever normal was._ He took the last sip of his tea and washed the cup off in the sink.

He glanced at the time on his phone. “All right, I gotta go back to my job. I’ll see ya for tea at the same time next week, mom.” He stood up and gave her a small kiss on the cheek and a hug. 

“Goodbye, my son. Take care,” said Atlanna while returning the hug.

Arthur walked outside the lighthouse up to the dock and stripped off his clothes to his golden suit underneath before diving into the waters below to Atlantis.

Orm stayed under the water for a few minutes before slowly putting his head above the waves to check for any dangers besides the guards. They would be easy to deal with since he had planned everything out the week before coming. 

He leaped out of the sea with ease and landed on the metal floor. Almost instantaneously, a group of men heard the clang of Orm’s boots connecting with the floor and ran to where he landed. 

“Get him!” One shouted.

“Who are you?!” Another one demanded.

“Who cares?! Luthor’s paying us a hefty load to watch this baby, so do your job!” A man responded.

“Where is this ‘Luthor’?” Orm spat out at the group.

The men charged at him, not answering his questions. Orm groaned in annoyance and lit his trident up with purple electricity. He swung the weapon and plunged it through several of the men who were surrounding him. 

When only one of them was left standing and Orm had him cornered, “I ask again, foolish human, where is Luthor?” 

“I don’t know, I just work for him! I swear,” the goon responded. “Please don’t kill me, I have a family... You don’t want to kill a man with a family! Do you?”

“That’s what they all say.” The former king shoved the trident into the man’s chest and removed it cleanly, killing him instantly. 

Every single man had now fallen to their demise. Orm made his way to the laboratory that held the once surface dwellers turned to creatures of the sea. He opened a door and immediately a strong aroma of chemicals hit his nose, he slightly gagged.

“This must be Hell,” Orm said and let out a disgruntled groan at the stench.

“Not even close,” Neron chimed in. Orm ignored the demon’s input and continued.

Big metal chambers were incapacitating the people with plastic tubes running throughout their bodies. They looked as if they were in a deep slumber. _These people must be put to sleep after they do their work,_ Orm looked around the room to find a switch to free the people from the chambers filled with the liquid they were enclosed in. 

His eyes landed on a switch panel in front of the cold metal room and he curiously pulled a lever to see if it would work – it did. 

A voice of a woman rang out in the steel room and red lights flickered on and off, “warning, breach detected. Remain calm. You may feel disoriented.” The warning repeated several times and it was directed at the people in the liquid sleeping induced chambers. 

Orm watched the chemicals drain from 50 of the chambers, the sea-changed people were all very confused about what was happening. As they all stepped out, he prepared to help them if needed. 

“Hear me, sea-changed people of the surface. I am here to liberate you. My name is King Orm Marius of Atlantis. House of Atlan. Heir, and rightful king to the throne. The man named Lex Luthor used you, manipulated you, for his own benefit – to pollute my oceans. I am giving you the chance to reform. To swear your fealty to me to take on Luthor and all others like him! Together we will be an unstoppable force!” Orm rallied the people and they all cheered for him, their rescuer. 

His army did not have the required amount of training yet, but Orm decided he would take vengeance anyway. His new people were anchored in blood thirst.

Far away in Atlantis, Arthur sat on his throne when he received news that his brother made his first appearance since August. 

A soldier from the men-of-war entered the throne room. “Your highness, the Batman has been trying to contact you, but-“ 

“What did he say?” Arthur cut the soldier off immediately questioning him with a weary gaze.

“He said the former prisoner of Atlantis known as Orm, your brother, has been spotted in Amnesty Bay.”

This caught Arthur’s attention and he leaned forward on his throne. “Is there anything else he said?”

“Just that... he has an army.” The poor soldier shook in fear of Arthur’s reaction to the news that his brother now had an army and planned to annihilate the surface and to reclaim the throne that he thought was rightfully his. 

“I see.” Arthur leaned back in his throne almost in defeat. He was tired of fighting Orm. He didn’t want to fight him again, much less if it comes to it – end Orm’s life. Arthur got up from his throne and gripped his golden trident. “Gather the rest of the Men-of-War, Mera, and my mom, we have a trip to make.” _And hopefully it doesn’t end in bloodshed,_ Arthur added in his head.

Orm walked down a snow covered street in Amnesty Bay with his sea-changed army marching behind him while residents of the town hid inside their homes and little shops watching and waiting for his next move. _Sinking my brother’s home will almost be too easy_ , the King chuckled to himself. 

“Walking. How tedious,” Orm said aloud in disgust.

“You’ll be swimming with the fish soon enough if you don’t stop this madness, Orm.” A familiar voice called out. Arthur walked out of an alley joined by Mera and Atlanna with some of the Atlantean army stationed behind them. 

“Arthur! How nice of you to join us today. You look well.” Orm smirked. “And welcome, mother. Are you proud of what I have achieved?” He raised his arms to emphasize his army’s presence. 

“You look like crap, Orm. That demon is clearly taking a toll on you,” Arthur retorted noticing that he was covered in feverish cold sweat and his eyes looked exhausted with dark circles.

“My son, please end this before it begins,” Atlanna pleaded with her son but to no avail. 

“It already has,” he stated blankly and pointed his trident at the group - _at his family_. “Attack, my people!” The order rang out and the Ocean Master’s army whooped a war cry. 

Seemingly, Arthur had no choice, so he barked an order back. “Attack!” Arthur, Mera, Atlanna, and the Men-of-War charged and the two armies clashed. 

What happened next was pure chaos. The two brothers went after each other, their tridents intertwined in a blood thirsty battle. Mera used her water bending powers to slash through Orm’s army while Atlanna punched her way through them. Arthur’s army appeared to be winning, as his brother’s did not have much experience with fighting. 

Orm threw Arthur through a building. He went through the wall and landed on the concrete of the street on the other side with a large thud, cracking the cement beneath him. 

Arthur groaned and used his hands to support himself back into a fighting stance. Orm walked through the hole in the wall Arthur made with his body. The dust of the building enveloped him in a dark cloud and the eyes of his mask glowed a dangerous red. 

“You’ve bested me on land before, brother. But this time I came prepared. I spent all these months training like your pet vizier, Vulko trained you when you were a child.” His voice was slick with anger. 

“I’m not gonna fight you anymore.” Arthur dropped his trident on the ground, showing he wouldn’t hurt his brother.

“What is this?” Orm asked angrily. “Some kind of trick?!”

“No tricks. I’m tired of this, Orm. I don’t want to fight you... just come home, _please_ ,” Arthur offered while reaching his gloved hand out.

Orm stood there with confusion riddled across his face. He didn’t know what Arthur was up to. Was he being genuine? Did Arthur really want him to come home? Millions of questions buzzed through Orm’s mind, but they were short-lived. 

“End this, Ormy.” The familiar voice of Neron, the Lord of Hell who possessed his trident called out in his thoughts. 

Orm gripped his head in pain and yelled out, “I will end you! I will destroy your precious world and take back what is mine!” He growled and his weapon came to life with electricity. 

“You would kill billions of people for your sick dream?!” Arthur realized he didn’t have a choice anymore – he would have to take his own brother’s life to make him stop. It would never end, Neron would just whisk him away again and he would show up months later to try to complete his goal. It would be a never ending cycle. In that moment, Arthur was convinced it would save Orm from himself, his pain and suffering would cease and he would be at ease. _He’s too far gone._

Arthur picked up the Dead King’s trident from the ground with shaky hands and tears pricked his eyes that threatened to spill. He called lightning from above with his trident and shocked Orm’s trident with such force it burned the metallic substance and he heard the demon’s cries ring out. 

“Go to Hell, Neron.” Arthur gritted his teeth. 

Orm’s body seized while holding the trident with the force of Arthur’s lightning and the next second he collapsed on the ground, unmoving. He was gone.

The battle across the street stopped instantly and a cry rang out. A mother’s mournful cry. “No!” Atlanna rushed over to her son’s unmoving form trying to revive him. 

Arthur stood in shock. He was in disbelief at what he had done. A long time ago, he vowed to kill Orm for letting their mother die and he would show him no mercy. And now he had done it, but instead he showed him mercy by killing him. Having your actions be dictated by a demonic being was not life, Orm was already gone from the start when he discovered that cursed trident in the depths.

“Goodbye, little brother,” Arthur let out a broken sob. “... I’m sorry.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Orm dead? Are you sure he’s reaaallly dead? We shall see.  
> Orm has been through so much in my fic, it’s a wonder he has made it this far. I promise he’ll be happy eventually, I’m not that cruel lol


	7. A Watery Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aquafamily mourns for their lost prince. Erin Shaw runs into a strange man. The man doesn’t seem to remember who he is besides his name and his origin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, I have been avoiding posting this chapter because I thought it was boring from my perspective. Also, I write faster than I upload it anywhere so this has been done essentially for months. Oh yeah... because I’ve been so unmotivated with this, I’ve been working on another Orm fic, a prequel to dceu Orm.

The sea king looked down at his brother’s unmoving corpse. He looks peaceful almost. His face was drawn in relief, his eyes closed. It was like Orm was sleeping. In a way, he was. An eternal rest. 

Arthur wiped away his tears and carefully picked up Orm’s body while wading into the sea and dove under the waves to Atlantis. Arthur and Orm’s army both followed close behind. Mera stayed behind with Atlanna. She couldn’t bear to see her youngest son’s limp body. 

Funeral arrangements were made quickly for the former prince. Three days had passed since Orm’s passing and Arthur found each day difficult. He often neglected his duty and spent his time at the bar in Amnesty Bay drinking until the pain was numbed for a while. Arthur didn’t think he would become an alcoholic again, but losing his little brother drove him back to that dangerous edge. Mera usually had to drag Arthur back to Atlantis. She hated seeing him so broken, but there was nothing she could do except give him time to grieve.

Atlanna locked herself in a room in the lighthouse and avoided speaking to anyone except once in a while when Tom would bring her food and ask her how she was doing. She would simply reply “okay” and that was the end of the conversation. Atlanna didn’t blame Arthur for Orm’s death. Far from it, she thought she could have prevented it somehow and she lived with that guilt.

The funeral was held at the end of the week on a Sunday. Everyone in Atlantis was welcome to attend. Even though Orm died a criminal, he was still beloved by thousands. A statue of him was erected above his resting place to honor his memory and for all those who cherished him when he was alive. They buried him with the trident he held because according to Arthur, Orm would watch over it. He thought it was cursed and the sea king didn’t want anyone else to come into contact with it. 

Every day onward was a repeat for the family. Arthur became a drunk again, Atlanna rarely interacted with anyone, Mera ran Atlantis more than Arthur at this point, and Vulko helped her. 

But somewhere far, far away a man was stirring awake in the darkness. He didn’t know where he was, or who the voice belonged to that called out to him.

“Ormy... Ormy... Wake up...” said the voice. It sounded as if it were everywhere in the void, but at the same time nowhere at all. 

“Five more minutes…” The man groaned and suddenly shot up in the darkness, an electrical pain tingled throughout his body. “Where am I? Who are you?” He breathed rapidly.

“I’m your very best friend.” The voice let out a booming sinister laugh.

The man now remembered who he was and what happened to him, a tragic thing. “I’m dead, aren’t I? Arthur killed me,” Orm murmured to the entity. 

“Bingo! Did you miss me, Ormy?” The being questioned.

“Not one bit, Neron... Why am I here?”

“You’re in between the dimension of Hell because your soul was damned from me. But I’m going to let you go because quite frankly, I don’t like you that much, Orm Marius. You irk me. I’m home now with my position restored and that’s all I ever desired.” 

Orm scoffed, “so that’s it, you’re going to let me go? Just like that?”

“Consider yourself lucky. I don’t usually let all my pets go,” the Lord of Hell cooed. “You’ll probably wake up with a moderate case of amnesia and have no idea who you are, but that’s just one of many side effects. Enjoy the trident though, I have no use for it anymore.” 

“Wait–“ but it was too late. The next thing Orm knew he started digging himself out of a watery grave. 

First, he felt the weapon in the darkness of the confined space and grabbed it to use to dig out. After several painstaking minutes, he broke free from his grave. Orm coughed and sputtered like no other, getting the dirt and sand from the ocean floor out of his lungs. 

He realized he had no idea who he is. All he knew is that his name is Orm, he came from the ancient sunken city of Atlantis meaning he wasn’t human, and he was dead five seconds ago. There were no memories of his past he could look to for clues, he became a clean slate. 

Orm decided he needed to get out of wherever he is. The graveyard appeared to be on the outskirts of his city but he wasn’t going to wait around to see if anyone would come to mourn for him. He swam up to the surface with the trident in hand and dragged himself across the darkness of a beach, coughing up water and more dirt from his lungs. 

He stumbled across the beach onto a road and that’s when a car almost slammed into him. Luckily, the driver saw him enough in the headlights and hit their brakes immediately and the car skidded to a stop.

The driver ran out of their car and went to check on the man who almost became roadkill. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry – Orm?” A feminine voice questioned.

“Yes... that appears to be me,” he worded carefully not knowing if the woman in front of him was a friend or foe.

“Don’t you remember me? We met at the market a few months ago,” she tried to jog his memory. “I’m Erin, Erin Shaw.”

Orm squinted his eyes, not having one recollection of her. “I apologize, I don’t know who you are.” 

“That’s okay. Um, you might be in shock? I don’t know, I almost hit you with my car and–“

Orm waved her away. “No, no. I’m fine, I just need some rest and I will be okay...” Orm took one step away from her and completely dropped on the road as if he were a ton of bricks.

“Jesus!” Erin shouted. She ran over to the blond man who laid unconscious and tried shaking him awake. “Orm? Wake up, please!” 

That’s when she noticed he wasn’t wearing normal clothes, these garments looked otherworldly. And a strange weapon that looked almost like a trident laid next to him. _Interesting_ , Erin thought. _But not important right now_. A few more moments passed and he still didn’t move. “Okay. All right. You just need to get him somewhere safe, Erin. It’ll be okay,” she tried to assure herself. Erin went to the trunk of her car and pulled out an old sleeping bag to roll Orm onto so she could drag him into her car. He’s surprisingly heavy. 

After a few minutes of dragging him, she managed to lay him down in the back seats of the vehicle. She went back to grab the weapon on the ground and put it under the seats Orm laid on. Erin knew he was a strange man and she knew he most likely wouldn’t appreciate getting thrown into a hospital, so she decided to take him to her house. Sure, she knew the risks of letting a strange man into her home and one who could be dangerous, but she felt he needed help and that’s what she would offer.

She pulled into the driveway of her small beach house and remembered that she had to drag Orm into the house. “Ugh, this is so exhausting,” Erin sighed loudly and ran her fingers through her dark hair. _I could get the babysitter inside who’s watching Tommy help_ , Erin contemplated the thought. 

She practically sprinted out of the car to the doorway and her keys jangled while unlocking the door. “Hey, Anne? I need a favor!” She saw the babysitter sitting with a sleeping Tommy on the couch with some loony toon cartoon on the television.

“Sure, what’s up?” The babysitter replied.

Erin quickly explained the situation and the babysitter stared in disbelief at her. “You have a passed-out man in the car and you want me to help you drag him inside? I better get paid extra for this.” 

Erin sighed and led Anne to her car, but Orm was nowhere in sight. The passenger door was ajar. She noticed he left the weapon behind on the floor of her car, but she left it alone out of respect. “Oh, shit! Where could he have gone?” Erin kicked the grass in anger. “What if he gets hurt and it’s my fault for letting him out of my sight!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” the babysitter comforted Erin and before they went inside to discuss money, they checked around outside the house once more.

Orm stumbled across the town. He looked into a window of a store and saw clothes on mannequins. He glanced down at himself and noticed he wasn’t wearing clothes like the ones in the window. Instead, he wore a type of purple armor with metallic scales detailing it. 

“Nice cosplay,” said a man passing him trying to contain his laughter, but failing.

Orm grumbled and continued. He saw a nearby house with laundry on a clothesline. He quickly and inconspicuously threw on a white t-shirt, a black leather jacket over the top of his suit, and loose-fitting jeans for the bottom part. 

He admired his handiwork and continued down the concrete path of the street. He eventually ended up at a bar and walked into the lively area with music blasting throughout the room. Orm sat down at a table and rubbed his face with his hands not understanding what was happening to him. _Why can’t I remember who I am? Why do I just know my name and where I come from? Why did I pass out?_ Questions ran through his mind for what seemed like hours. He needed a drink. 

He stood up from the table he was sitting at and went over to the pub table. 

“What can I get you?” A blonde lady asked him.

“Anything really,” he replied. He didn’t know anything about what his people called _the surface_ , so he would just try to blend in as much as possible. 

A man with dark locks and tattoos sat down next to him, he seemed exhausted and like he had one too many drinks already. “J-jus... just... oneee m-more for the n-night.” He slurred his words.

“I’m sorry, Arthur. You’ve already had too many. Your girlfriend is going to pick you up soon anyway,” the blonde bar-tending woman told him.

“W-w-whatever.” Arthur waved her off and turned to look at Orm. And that’s when he became angrier. 

“Is th-this some... k-kind of si-sick j-joke?” Arthur raised his voice.

“Do I know you?” Orm asked him. 

Almost immediately Arthur punched the man in front of him who looks exactly like his late half-brother which sent him flying across the room. People in the room screamed and ran for cover.

Orm landed hard into the wooden wall nearly shattering it completely. Red blood came streaming out of his mouth, he examined it and wiped it away with his leather sleeve. 

“I don’t know what I did to you, but–“

Before he could finish, Arthur leaped to where he was and grabbed him, throwing him through a window onto the docks outside. He groaned in pain and rolled over to get away from his attacker before the next punch got thrown his way. 

“You think you can come in there with my brother’s face and pretend you’re him, is that it?!” Arthur roared while charging at him. “I don’t know who you think you are but you’re dead now!

He dodged the charge and positioned himself where he could kick Arthur’s back and subdue him. “Arthur, is it? I don’t know if I am truly your brother or not, but I do know that you need to calm down and let me explain!” Orm said quickly before he let go of his grip on the man who claimed to be his brother. 

Arthur relaxed his tense muscles a bit to show that he waited for an explanation.

“Good,” Orm replied. “As I was saying, I woke up under the ocean with no memory of who I am. All I know is that my name is Orm and I’m from the city of Atlantis. It sounds mad, but it’s the truth.” 

Arthur got up and pulled Orm into a tight bear hug with tears in his eyes. “Orm?! I can’t believe it. We thought... we thought you were dead. How is this even possible?” 

“I don’t know but I am alive as I’ll ever be,” Orm replied while returning the hug feeling like he was hugging a complete stranger who tried to kill him only a mere few seconds ago, and not a family member. 

Arthur released his brother from the hug. “You really don’t know who I am, do you?”

“No, I’m–“ Orm suddenly felt dizzy and like he wasn’t completely present. Static clouded his vision and he felt weak in the knees. He collapsed, but Arthur caught him.

“Orm? You okay?” Arthur’s voice seemed far away.

“ _Hhng_ ,” was all he could manage to weakly choke out and then completely fall into a deep, dark sleep.

Orm woke with a start. Arthur got up from a chair and gently pushed him back down to where he rested on an old couch.

“Where are we?” He asked with a groggy voice.

“I took you to the house,” Arthur replied. “You fainted. Did that happen before now?”

Orm thought back to when he blacked out while he was with Erin. “Yes.”

“I don’t know if you fainted before you… before you…”

“Died?” Orm finished the sentence for him. “Yes, me either. That seems to be the biggest issue these days,” he scoffed. 

Arthur sighed, “Listen, my dad took our mom out today since she’s been cooped up in here too much, but they’ll be back soon and I don’t know how Mom is gonna react to you… being alive…”

_First I discover I have a brother and now a mother? Anymore hidden relatives?_ The blond brother groaned and sat up. “I can go somewhere else if it’s too much of a problem.”

“Do you have anywhere else to go?” Arthur asked him.

Orm thought about Erin Shaw, but he didn’t know her address. “I do. By the way, do you have… _oh, what is it called_ … a bathroom?” He asked his brother. 

“Yeah, it’s down the hall to the left. But don’t stay in there too long, you have to get going soon.”

“Thank you.” Orm got up and left the room.

_He’s… even weirder and surprisingly has better manners now_ , Arthur thought to himself and sat back down on the couch turning the TV on for noise in the background. He pulled out his phone and quickly texted Mera he went to the market to grab a few things and wouldn't be at the bar, _not technically a lie._

Orm stood in the bathroom staring back at his reflection in the rectangular mirror. _Who am I? Am I really Orm? I feel like a stranger in my own body._ Abruptly, black liquid fell into the sink. _Strange_ , he thought. More black liquid fell. Orm felt a tickle in his nose and touched it, the realization hit that the liquid came from him. _Now what?_ He hissed in annoyance and grabbed some tissues to help with the bleeding. 

He suddenly felt light-headed and used his hands to grip the edges of the sink for support. Then there was darkness.

Orm woke up in a dark room with no light source to be found. He couldn’t see in front of his face. He heard a distant voice, but it also seemed to come from nowhere at all. 

_“Your soul... damned…. case… amnesia…. side effects… trident...”_ were just some words he could make out in the swallowing pit of nothing he was in.

“Hello?!” He shouted into the void, but his voice bounced back at him. 

Arthur heard a truck pull up in the driveway outside. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

He made a beeline from the living room down the hall to the bathroom and knocked on the door loudly. “Orm, you gotta go now. Mom’s back!” 

There was no reply. “Orm? You alive in there?” He knocked two more times.

Nothing. _Either Orm fainted again or he jumped out of the window._ Arthur went with the first option and tried the handle of the door. It opened. He saw his brother laying on the floor with black blood trickling out of his nose. The front door opened and he heard Atlanna and Tom in conversation, he quickly shut the bathroom door.

Arthur walked into the living room. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Pops.” 

“Arthur, we weren’t expecting you… to be here,” Atlanna said. 

“Yeah, sorry. I wanted to hang out here for a bit,” he lied. Trying to cover for Orm is going to be difficult. 

“Oh, all right. I’ll be in the bathroom for a second and then I can make us some tea,” Atlanna offered while walking down the hall to the bathroom and Arthur ran after her.

“NO!” He practically shouted. “I mean, I would like tea… but you just can’t go in that room.”

“Why not?” Atlanna questioned looking him up and down with suspicion. 

“Because… it smells… in there… I just got out,” Arthur cringed immediately after he said that and became embarrassed even if it were a total lie. 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Atlanna opened the door and there was no sign of Orm. There were two small drops of blood on the rug, but other than that, no sign of Arthur’s prone to passing out brother.

Arthur breathed out a long sigh of relief. _Orm must’ve gone out the window._ Atlanna gave her son a strange glance for a second then noticed the window was open and the curtains were blowing in the breeze. “Why is this open?” Atlanna moved to shut it, she securely closed the window and left the bathroom. 

Orm sat outside on one of the other side of the window leaning against the house and also let out a sigh of relief. 

After several minutes, Arthur ran outside and started whispering Orm’s name while looking for him. “Orm? Orm? Are you out here?” 

“Yes,” Orm called out to Arthur.

He walked over to where Orm crouched by the bathroom window. “Let’s go inside to talk to Mom… She deserves to know the truth,” Arthur spoke in a hushed whisper.

Orm considered this for a moment. _I don’t even know who that woman is. She is a stranger to me, but if it would help her since she thinks her youngest son is dead… then I shall._

“All right.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, surprise! Orm is alive and I gave him amnesia on purpose like when he was an amnesiac in the comics. Don’t worry, unlike most comics *cough* his amnesia arc won’t last that long.


End file.
